Zong Restaurant
Restaurants in the Philippines die: either they grow old and tired, or they fail to push food culture forward, or some of the worst even franchise. Zong is doing all three.
The food is still good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just a fraction of what it used to be. Zong used to be great, now it’s just good and it’s hard not to notice how that once excellent Cantonese fare that I had a few years ago has turned ordinary. The concepts for the food remain ambitious and forward-looking but somehow, the execution of the food we ate in its Trinoma branch lacks finesse.
Take the Fried Prawn and Peach Rolls. I remember eating dumplings in Beijing that utilized peaches and it used fresh ones that were flavored with a lot of things and it excited my palate. This one made use of canned peaches that was simply too sweet and syrupy and didn’t mesh well with the prawn filling. With the dipping sauce that accompanied this dumpling, I thought I was eating prawn salad. Granted fresh peaches are hard to find here, one can always substitute other fruits for it: pears, apples, maybe even jicama or coconut. Sweetened canned ones just made the dish taste like a confused dessert.
Some dishes are safe. Their Braised Vegetable with Mushroom and Scallops sounded good but it is stir fry that you can find anywhere. And like most restaurants that cheat on ingredients, there was too much shiitake mushrooms on this one and not a lot scallops. It’s fairly simple to prepare and they executed it properly.
Another thing that was just okay was their Chef Seafood Fried Rice.
Thankfully, the Pan Fried Chicken with Salted Egg Crust was still good. Zong has made a reputation out of this dish. It’s your basic fried chicken only the batter covering it makes use of salted eggs.
What I did find sad is the lack of thought put into the other aspects of the eating experience. Zong used to be polished before and the service reliable. This time, it’s beginning to waver. The black plates are pretty to look at with a deconstructed yin-yang symbol embedded on the surface but they left this tingly sensation each time the tip of my spoon or fork touched it. Maybe it works well with wooden chopsticks, but definitely not silverware. We came there on a Sunday for lunch, and they had their music switched on to one of those radio stations playing sad music from the 70s and 80s that somewhat disrupted the dining experience. Other patrons were laughing at the songs, and while the songs did evoke a reaction, it wasn’t pleasant. While I am not looking for authentic Chinese music, maybe a-half-dozen CDs with pre-screened songs can be played instead of taking chances with titles like “Tainted Love” or “Solitaire”. That or keep the volume down. There’s also that poorly-finished interior that was still decorated with Christmas ornaments towards the end of January. We sat at a corner table and you could see the hurried paint job on the walls were the banquette chairs rested and some cobwebs. While all of these things have nothing to do with the food, you can’t help but think that the once meticulous details that lent a calming mood and a coherent taste to Zong are being neglected.
Zong Restaurant has branches in Trinoma, The Fort, Westgate in Alabang.
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8 comments:
May kamahalan din ang Zong para sa akin. Ok lang sana ang presyo kung talagang kakaiba ang pagkain mula sa North Park at Super Bowl, pero pareho lang ang lasa at kalidad.
A Complaint Letter on ZONG: A Sorry Experience
April 3, 2009
11:10pm
To whom it may concern,
Let me just vent my outrage over one of your waiter's attitude a couple of hours ago when I dined in at Zong, Westgate. I came in at around 8pm along with three of my friends and a child with autism. We were ushered in hospitably by your receptionist and were gladly seated on a table for seven people.
As we were figuring out how to make ourselves comfortable along with the child who would be needing special attention, I thought of moving one of the smaller table to make it a table for five. In that way, the child would not be too far away and would be assisted on both left and right.
I signalled one of the male waiters and politely asked if the table could be moved at the side. At first instance, the waiter was irritated and retorted that it could not be done. We were very hungry to even argue. We had walked all the way from Kanin Club Restaurant (also in Westgate) because they did not have a highchair for the child and thought about Zong with their motto "an experience worthy of contemplation and remembrance". The waiter did not offer any option.
One of my companions repeated what I had told the waiter. In response to the demand, the waiter dragged the table recklessly creating a painfully squeaking sound that made everybody look and find out what was going on. As if that was not enough, he moved the smaller bench in the same manner, pa-dabog, creating a scene. And I thought he was a really rude waiter. He left us and was very furious, I could tell because his ears were fuming red.
At that moment I wanted us to leave Zong out of humiliation but my friends were very hungry. I called out on another waiter and he approached promptly. I asked for the name of the rude waiter and told him not to let the rude waiter serve our food. He was apologetic and decided to be the one to serve us our food.
Now that I know the name of the rude waiter, Wilson Rojo, I do not want the management to take it against him. Maybe it is about time that Zong review its labor policy particularly their work hours, just compensation, and days off. Are your staff undermanned? Are you remitting their SSS religiously? Do they have health cards?
You are in the service industry and you know very well that such an attitude would have a snow ball effect on your customers. You can fire Wilson Rojo but if your labor policy is unjust, the attitude of your other waiters would unsurpisingly be such.
It's hard to find job nowadays and equally hard to find the right people. Teach your waiters to love their job. Care for your waiters by giving them just compensation. In that way your waiters will serve your customers a Zong experience worthy of contemplation and remembrance and not of dread.
Sincerely,
DOLE Employee
To DOLE employee,
Nice feedback, but I'm just curious, how much did your group give for tip?
Anonymo
Another complaint letter about Zong Restaurant:
This time, the incident happened at their new branch in Centris Walk. This is right beside the MRT-Centris Station, used to be the Quez Ave Mrt station.
I walked in with my two teenage sons at about 10 minutes past eight last night. We came from different appointments, and met up at the Centris station. We agreed to try this new strip, the Centris walk, and check out any of the new restos. We spotted Zong, and my older son suggested we try it first time.
We ordered only 3 dishes, aside from the fruits shakes - a soup order, an appetizer and the taiwanese 3-cup chicken. We were the smallest group then, the other tables were big groups - either family or friends together. We thought, if the food we got is great, let's check again the menu.
It was going 25 minutes, and we only had the drinks and soup served. I noticed another big group, which I know came in after us, being served already. That was when I started following up the rest of our orders. Another 10 minutes and the head waiter (apparently) approached our table giving the flimsy (and so fake) excuse that our order does take a long time to prepare. C'mon!He and his crew ignored my family enough already and now there he was still trying to cover his/their lousy, unprofessional service and shabby treatment. Besides, if at all I'm taking that excuse, then their advice during the order-taking should be a gracious move.
The short of this is, we walked out. Zong does not deserve a space in the Philippine culinary world. There are other more deserving estabs with value-for-money food and service. These two go hand-in-hand, and my opinion is Zong must be in a state of serious amnesia for the gross failure here. My boys and I were first kinda excited to try the resto, but honestly, the experience dampened our otherwise healthy appetite when we first came in. We walked out at 9pm - we gave them more than enough time. So pathetic!
Oh, there was an apology given...but failure in one's supposed-to-be strength and core competence, combined with gross disregard of a client (their attention have to be called, remember, plus the stupid excuse)
cannot make one accept the sorry's so easily.
Well, I know this resto-what's-its-name is past tense for me, so referrals are out of the question naturally.
Cobwebs? Pests? Hmmm, food safety issues coming up...
ISO22000 Trainor
I have been eating at Zong for the past 6 years, honestly I have never had a single bad experience in any of the branches. Yes, there were times that the food comes out slower than usual but it's because this place is always full. In fact, the times I almost have a bad experience, the staff somehow manages to do something to make my experience better. In my opinion, the staff knows what they are doing and are quick to respond to customer needs. I believe that you always get what you deserve on the way you treat your wait staff.
Had a great experience in Zong a few nights ago with my friends. Food was still sarap (good), and they have tons of new items on the menu. BTW, I just noticed that the staff still don't have a service charge. I think they are the only restaurant in Metro Manila that doesn't impose service charge on their customers. THANK YOU ZONG!!!, I STILL RECOMMEND YOU!!!
the last 2 "anonymous" comments sound like zong management trying to do some damage control.
wow, no service charge?! really? i'd be awfully surprised if they did have service charge on top of the price they charge for the putrid food and lackluster service.
It does sound like they are doing damage control. But I frequently eat at zong and I find their food quite decent. It's not Shang Palace or LiLi but it's better than North Park for the price you pay. and I find the staff pleasant.
I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
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